Rep. J.D. Mesnard Admits That HB2305 Will Keep Third Parties Off The Ballot In AZ

AZ GOP Chairman Robert Graham, along with LD6 Rep. Brenda Barton and other Republican leaders recently told me that HB2305 has nothing to do with keeping third parties off the Arizona ballot. They insist that this bill is all about “leveling the playing field” and making things fair across the board.

Of course, when I pushed the issue and explained my interpretation of the bill, Graham and Barton deleted me as a facebook friend and blocked me because they knew I could see right through their talking points and lies.

Before I was blocked, I was able to suggest to both that Republicans all get on the same page before lying to the masses. Perhaps they should have given Rep. J.D. Mesnard the talking points memo before he admitted on the AZ House floor that the signature requirement included in HB2305 was put there to KEEP THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES OFF THE BALLOT.

“So I strongly urge folks at least in my party who looked at the last election in November of 2012 and were disappointed with the outcome and looked at a couple of the third party candidates on there and how they impacted us in a detrimental way and will switch their votes to yes. Because some of the folks voting no will be vulnerable to that very thing. I can’t believe we wouldn’t see the benefit of this and would strongly urge you to look at the long term ramification for both Arizona and the United States and so Mr. Speaker, I vote yes and I urge my colleagues to vote yes.”

Mesnard is not the only candidate expressing the real intentions of the Republican establishment. Rep. Adam Kwasman lobbied hard for HB2305 because he plans to run for Congress in CD1 and he wants to make sure there is no Libertarian competition on the ballot.

Requiring third parties to collect more signatures than they have registered members is NOT leveling the playing field. Requiring third party candidates to go outside their party and beg Independents who have no ideological or political connection for their support is not fairness.

At least some Republicans are honest enough to say what it’s really about. Eliminating the competition and forcing voters to choose between an (R) or (D) candidate (in the hope that people who would have voted Libertarian will now vote Republican).

This kind of cheating and corruption will (and already is starting to) backfire on Republicans.

Attacking third parties and third party candidates is probably not the best strategy to grow the Republican Party. Republicans have made tens of thousands of new enemies in Arizona because of the excessive signature requirements in HB2305 and they will lose elections because of this.

If it forces the thinking third party independents into one of the larger organized parties or to go from 14 splintered parties into one combined party it should actually strengthen whichever place they land in. I can understand if I want to run as a Republican feeling it is unfair for me to have to gather many times more signatures than another candidate for the same line on a ballot. Organizing for grassroots success needed a nudge and this may actually help.

Tom, this is for primary ballot access. How would you feel if you, as a Republican, had to go out and get Democrat signatures in order to be on a Republican primary ballot? You also use the word “force”. Force is used by bullies in power…not by people who believe in freedom and ballot choice. Lastly, the process before was very fair. Candidates needed to get the same percentage of signatures from the registered members of their respective parties. Small parties required less signatures and large parties required more. Barry Hess calls HB2305 the Republican Whiny Baby Bill because Republicans are actually complaining that their club is too big. Very sad mentality.